More and more young people have stomach cancer

The rate of people under 40 suffering from this disease is increasing, even cases under 30 years old have had stomach cancer in the end.

Stomach cancer is now quite common, among the 10 most common cancers. Particularly in Vietnam, this disease ranks second in men after lung cancer, and third in women after breast and cervical cancer. About two-thirds of people with gastric cancer are found in advanced stage, the tumor has invaded and metastatic lymph node or metastases far.

Master, doctor Vo Duy Long, Deputy Head of Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City, said that every year here from 300 to 400 patients with stomach cancer. Of which nearly two-thirds of cases still specify radical surgical treatment, the rest have metastasized far beyond surgery but can only undergo medical treatment to prolong life.

Dr. Long recommends that stomach cancer is tending to rejuvenate. The percentage of patients under 40 years old is increasing, especially in some cases under 30 years old. The University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City once admitted an 18-year-old female student to the hospital because of severe abdominal pain. After examination and necessary tests, doctors found that patients with end-stage gastric cancer had metastasized throughout the abdominal cavity so they could not undergo radical surgery. Patients are prescribed medication to prolong life.

Another case was a 33-year-old female patient from Quang Ngai who came to the clinic two years ago with symptoms of abdominal pain and vomiting over 4 months. An endoscopist finds a 1 cm ulcer in the stomach cavity. The surgery showed that she had stage 2A stomach cancer and was ordered to be treated with laparoscopic surgery. After surgery, the patient's health recovered quickly, is now pregnant at 12 weeks.

According to Dr. Long, the rate of stomach cancer is increasing in Vietnam and some countries like South Korea and Japan due to a high salt diet, high intake of pickled foods, smoked foods ... In addition, the situation of infection with helicobacter pylori, a bacterium that lives in the mucous membrane of the stomach and some conditions such as chronic gastritis, atrophic gastritis, and intestinal dysplasia also increases the rate of cancer. . The disease is also familial.

Stomach cancer is difficult to detect at an early stage. Initially, the illness usually causes no symptoms. Until metastatic cancer causes atypical epigastric pain with no cycles, bloating, anorexia, digestive disorders. The patient may experience general weakness, rapid weight loss, nausea and vomiting, vomiting blood or defecation of blood.

Usually, gastrectomy with lymph node curettage is the standard treatment of choice for improving the survival time for patients. In recent years, the method of gastroscopy surgery has been applied more and more widely to bring more benefits to patients. Especially, gastric laparoscopy with lymphadenectomy is a difficult and complicated surgery which was first performed in Japan in 1994. There have been many reports of this surgery proving effective in terms of cancer. Library learning in the treatment of stomach cancer. Many countries around the world also apply this technique and record good results.

Dr. Long said, in the last 2 years, there have been more than 250 cases of gastric cancer undergoing laparoscopic surgery, accounting for more than 50% of stomach cancer patients coming to the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. Monitoring shows that the survival effect after laparoscopic surgery is equivalent or better than open surgery. "In particular, the technique of completely cutting the abdominal cavity with laparoscopic surgery brings a lot of benefits to patients such as postoperative pain relief, fast recovery and high aesthetics."

What to do when you detect an HP infection that causes stomach cancer

I am 40 years old, not long ago tested for HP infection. I was bewildered because I heard that this bacteria is one of the causes of stomach cancer.

Dull abdominal pain, indigestion eat watch out for stomach cancer
Breathing reveals your risk of stomach cancer
Please ask this disease can be cured, how long time. If the treatment cures, do you need to abstain to avoid recurrence? Is the disease contagious? Thank you doctor. (Autumn).

Reply:

Hello,

Risk factors for stomach cancer are often a diet high in salted, smoked foods, low in vegetables, mold-contaminated foods, families with people with stomach cancer, and HP infection (Helicobacter Pylory). ), chronic gastritis, tobacco addiction, polyps ...

Please also note that the risk factor is not necessarily the cause of cancer. Having one or even more risk factors does not mean you will get it. On the contrary, there are cases without any risk factors.

For added peace of mind, a gastroscopy should be performed to diagnose gastric disease and determine HP infection. HP should only be treated when accompanied by inflammation - peptic ulcer. Currently, HP can be eradicated with a combination of antibiotic regimen and anti-inflammatory medicine - gastric ulcer in 2 weeks (an additional 4 weeks of anti-inflammatory gastric ulcer).

HP is spread by eating and drinking and can cause re-infection. One way to avoid it is to clean dishes, not sharing spoons, chopsticks, glasses ... with others when eating.